Rove: And now our next guests, stars of the new Aussiefilm called Oyster Farmer. One is an Aussie icon; the other is one of our brightest young actors. Please welcome to the show, Jack Thompson and Alex O’Loughlin.

[Applause]

Rove shaking Jack’s hand, saying something that sounds like: So good to have you on the show.Rove shaking Alex’s hand:A-Rod

Now, you two of course together for Oyster Farmer, but you guys have actually worked together before, haven’t you?

Jack: We, we have. He used to sell insurance and I used to buy it.

Alex: I did.

[Laughs]

Jack: No, no, no.

Rove: It must be exciting for you, I meaning having worked together a couple of times? But for you Alex, to be with someone like ….. of Jack’scalibre, the first time you met him?
Everyone else with the film as well. David Field, Kerry Armstrong.

Jack: It’s a fantastic cast.

Rove: Tremendous cast.

Jack: Really amazing.

Alex: Yeah.

Rove: How was it for you as a green kid…?

Alex: It was….

Rove: …fresh out of NIDA?

Alex: It was hard. I was very scared, you know.

Jack: So was I.

Alex: Jack was more scared

Jack: Green kid, fresh out of NIDA.

Alex: Yeah, he’s gonna ruin it for everyone.

Jack:Will he remember the lines?

Alex: It’s … there’s a lot of pressure, that you put on yourself I think. I got there and Jack Thompson and ….. you know. And all the others. But, I was so comfortable as soon as I got there. They embraced me and I was one of a family and ….

Jack: And now he’s our bastard son. No, no …. it’s fantastic. It’s really fantastic to work with this kind of energy, that’s come of an industry that I’ve been a part of, creating. You know, I mean, when I started in 1969, ’68, ’69, there was no Australian film industry. We created an Australian industry. And we created a film and television school and filmed being taught at NIDA. And then you get, twenty-five – thirty years later, you get this generation of bright young stars like Alex, fulfilling these roles, in a movie like this.

Which is really very much about the spirit of Australia. And the spirit of who we are as a community. The other night, it premiered at the Sydney film festival and I had seen it for the 4th time. And I walked out and I said to my wife, “That’s right, I remember what it is, I really love about this country and that’s there in this movie.”

Alex, Jack & David at the Sydney Film Festival

Rove: It is. It’s a great one. And I think a lot of people will enjoy it. It’s a beautiful film, in a lot of different ways. How do you …. someone who’s been in the Australianfilm industry for a while, and someone who is just starting out. How do you see things at the moment? A lot of people can be very critical of Australian films. How do you feel the Australian film industry is fairing at the moment?

Jack: I would say…..you got to say A-Rod. I want to say… because I got to get 10 bucks out of this, minimum, Rove-Rove.

Alex: I know it is awkward. Now I get my 20 bucks back and we are square.

Rove: How do you see things going … how do you see the Australia film industry at the moment?

Jack:Australian film. The thing about a film industry is, that ah … Well you recognise certain factors about it. One in nine movies returns to the producer in Hollywood. We have had an average of one in seven to one in eight, here. That really much higher than in Hollywood. And it’s a high risk investment. It’s like farming. There are years where it doesn’t happen. And then when it does happen, it’s fantastic.

And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that the Australian film industry is at the end of its tether. I have heard that quite recently. But you know, Rove. I won’t use the other thing. You know having seen the film, that if you want to know how the Australian film industry is now, go and take a look at this.

Rove: Yeah, we’ve actually got a clip from the film here. Alex, I don’t know if you want to set this up? This is your character of course, who..

Alex: Yes it is.

Rove: He starts out, he’s moved up to the Hawkesbury from Sydney to become an oyster farmer, to help his sister out, gets himself into a bit of trouble.

Alex: Bit of mischief.

Rove: Jack’s character, an ex-Vietnam vet who talks about love and life. Do you know the scene we’re about to show here?

Alex: I do, I do. This is a scene where my character Jack, talks to Jack’s character ‘Skippy’ and asks him if he’s ……..

Jack:Skippy’scharacter, Jack … no sorry.

Alex: And asks him if he’s ever been in love, so..

Rove: Let’s have a look. It’s the Oyster Farmer it’s out, June 30.

Dialogue from the movie clip:

Skippy: I recon everyone needs drama, yeah. Makes you feel more alive. Some bastards’ leaps out of planes. Some have a real big wedding. Some lucky bastards even gets laid. And some poor fucks, carve themselves up. I recon you best to know that part of yourself. Cause, its gonna surface sooner or later isn’t it. You don’t want it to come as a shock, hey.

Rove: Good job boys. Very good job. The film is Oyster Farmer it is out, June 30th. Please thank Jack Thompson and Alex O’Loughlin everybody. Thank you gentlemen. Very good to have you here. Thank you very much.

This interview was originally aired in June 2005. The fans from Aussies-Adore-Alex-OL.com fan site all pitched in and paid to get this interview from Rove Enterprises.

My Thoughts:

It is soooooo wonderful when fans are prepared to share footage of Alex, that they have spent money on to get, with other fans. Thank you so much to these ladies who bought and shared the interview with us all! ❤

It is so strange to see the 28 year old Alex, of nine years ago. He is in some ways still the same, but has grown so much as a celebrity since then.

Also interesting to see that Alex still had a little bit more longer and darker chest hair back then (before the Hollywood machine caught up with him 😦 ).

Just some trivia of Andy Roddick or A-Rod on his name…‘Rod-dick … I had years of psychological issues with that.’

Just an Update added: Although I did give the link to his name earlier, I thought to add the fact that Steve Curry was in Mary Bryant with Alex, which they filmed at the end of 2004, 6 months before the interview. He was one of the guys who escaped with Will & Mary.

Seriously, I was going to ask you yesterday, if you had this interview. OMG! I remember the first time I watched it. I was just getting to know Alex. I’m not fond of the “black” dye they put in his hair. Am I right, that this interview was shot after filming “FEED”? Anyway, the main star in this interview is definitely “the pink beast!” It was showing itself constantly! Loved it! Alex has learned to contain it more, but in those early interviews, it was all tongue. Oh my…, I just got a little dizzy there, thinking about his magnificent oral muscle. ((THUD)) Love the young Alex, but he has aged so beautifully. I think he looks today, the best he ever has. Thanks for this Foyeur, and for reading my mind. Scary 😉

I have been working on it for 3 days – really hard to hear what they say. 🙂 So you must have read my mind while I was busy doing it. There are so many interviews still to do and some of them are half finished in drafts. But this one just spoke to me again. Maybe “hearing” your call for it. 😛
I actually do not see any real reason for the dark hair. They filmed Feed in 28 days during January – 14 February 2005. I really think he could have cut the blond hair in Feb and let it grow out – this was 4 months later.
When I see this hair, I always think that it was no wonder he got no jobs that first year in Hollywood in 2005. 😀 Of course he was able to do the buzz cut for Marcus in ‘Invisible’, that was filmed at the end of 2005, about 4 months after this interview.

I love this interview. How adorable was baby Alex, back then. All over the place, so enthusiastic and so much the playful puppy. He’s always so respectful of the veteran actors he worked with. Nice to see also, that the lovely vein porn was evident then, too !! LOL